Sparks Fly
by dobrevdreams
Summary: Katherine takes Elena ice skating in hopes of cheering her up, and advancing their relationship; set sometime before 3x22
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I decided to combine my love for figure skating and Kelena into one story and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. This is a little different from the usual smutty stories that I write but I hope that you like it anyway. :) (Thanks to MysticFun and The Cursed Shadow who both helped me make this story better with their feedback. 3)

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"I just don't understand how this can be considered a sport," Stefan stated simply, his brows furrowed in confusion.

_Here we go again…_

Elena and Stefan were watching a figure skating competition on tv, something Elena had been looking forward to for weeks. She thought it would be a good way to hang out with Stefan, now that they were just friends, but she was really regretting her decision. All he had done for the last hour was criticize and complain and she was getting tired of his negativity.

"It actually takes a lot of athletic ability and stamina to be able to do what they do," Elena grumbled, obviously annoyed as she glared in Stefan's general direction.

A smirk started to form on Stefan's lips. "Football, basketball, even soccer I understand. But this?" Stefan began, gesturing emphatically at the tv. "This is just frilly girly stuff." Elena let out a sigh and took a sip of her soda. She watched as the skater effortlessly threw herself into the air, doing a double axel jump and landing cleanly.

"I could do that," Stefan shouted, throwing his hands up in frustration. Elena rolled her eyes. "You're a vampire Stefan," she sighed, trying to remain as calm as possible. "These skaters are human!"

"But all it is, is hopping into the air and waving your arms around like an idiot every so often," Stefan answered coolly. He popped a potato chip into his mouth and looked at Elena. "Not a sport." She knew it was pointless to argue with him, even though he was so very wrong. Elena was too tired to discuss the matter any further, so she stayed silent as she internally cursed herself for ever thinking he would understand.

When the competition was over, Elena said goodnight to Stefan and made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. She shut the door and inhaled deeply, attempting to calm herself down. After a few moments she walked over to her computer bag and pulled out her laptop, setting it down on the bed. She opened her desk drawer and took out a small case holding a DVD. Once she had popped the disk into her computer, she sat on the bed holding it in her lap.

A video started to play and Elena plugged her earphones in so she wouldn't wake Jeremy. She saw a younger version of herself on a big sheet of ice and as the music began, she felt her eyes threaten to well up with tears. She remembered when she had begged her parents for skating lessons one day after falling in love while watching the Olympics at age ten. She had skated every day for six years, up until the day before the accident that took her parents' lives. After that, she couldn't bring herself to skate again. Not without the people that had encouraged her and supported her through all the long practices and early mornings and bruised knees. She had hoped that she could share that part of her life with Stefan, but she knew now that would never happen. Stefan would never get it. She wiped her face with the back of her hand and stood up, determined to not let Stefan's ignorance bother her any longer. She grabbed her pajamas and headed into the bathroom.

Elena looked in the mirror at her tired reflection. She had dark circles under both of her eyes and she looked exactly how she felt; physically and emotionally exhausted. She changed into her pajamas and after brushing her teeth, she took one last glance in the mirror. She let out a heavy sigh as she turned off the bathroom light and went back into her room. She jumped when she saw Katherine casually lying on her bed, her ankles crossed over one another and her hands resting on her stomach.

"Katherine," Elena managed to say, clutching at her chest. "You scared me."

"Did I?" Katherine asked innocently, a mischievous glint in her eyes. A smile started to form on her lips at the way Elena's heartbeat seemed to quicken, pounding like a drum in her ears. Knowing that she was the cause of Elena's nervous demeanor only caused her smile to widen. Elena looked around nervously, trying to decide what the best course of action would be.

"What are you doing here?" Elena questioned, her stomach in knots at the mere sight of the vampire. Katherine gracefully stood up from her spot on the bed.

"I just stopped by to see my favorite doppelganger," Katherine announced cheerfully as she ran her hand along the edge of the comforter, her eyes never leaving Elena's.

"Okay well now you have," Elena acknowledged dryly, her eyes shifting from Katherine to the door. She was sure that Katherine was up to no good and she was too tired to play one of her games tonight. Katherine took a step towards Elena.

"Relax, I'm not here to hurt you," Katherine attempted to assure her. But Elena was unconvinced. She felt her heart start to race as Katherine came even closer. She took a step back instinctively and Katherine frowned.

"Are you not happy to see me?" Katherine asked, mock hurt in her voice.

Elena ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head. "No, I just... it's been a long day Katherine," she sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Her gaze shifted back to Katherine's as the vampire took another step towards Elena, stopping just inches away. "Just tell me what you want so I can go to bed."

Katherine reached out and gently brushed her hand against Elena's arm. "I _wanted_to see if you were all right."

_She knows._

_Of course she knows, she was probably listening in the entire time._

Elena wanted to confide in Katherine, but now wasn't the time. She was tired and she was certain that she would do or say something stupid and she wanted to avoid that at all costs.

"I'm fine," Elena said a little too firmly, clearly feeling anything but.

Katherine tilted her head and studied Elena's face. "Are you sure?" she questioned suspiciously. Elena bit her lip and nodded her head, knowing very well that Katherine would be able to see right through her. She found Katherine's eyes staring back at her to be too much, so she looked away.

"Well, in that case, I also wanted to know if you were free tomorrow night," Katherine said, her eyes sparkling.

Elena snapped her gaze back to Katherine's. "Why?" she asked cautiously, genuinely curious about Katherine's potential plans.

Katherine leaned in closer to her doppelganger; close enough so that Elena could feel her warm breath on her lips. "You and I are going out," she said deviously.

Elena's heart jumped at the mere idea of being with Katherine alone somewhere, but her rational side was having a hard time dealing with it. "I can't," Elena stuttered. "Stefan and I..." she trailed off, trying to come up with a plausible reason for why she had to turn Katherine down, but her mind went blank and she struggled to find an excuse.

"Were you going to finish that sentence?" Katherine teased, a grin starting to form on her lips as Elena got more and more flustered.

"Things are… complicated between us right now," Elena managed to stutter.

"Us meaning you and Stefan…? Or you and me?" Katherine questioned, raising her brow.

"Both," Elena admitted softly. She wrung her hands and started to fidget with the hem of her shirt.

It was true. Things had gotten complicated between her and Stefan. They no longer shared the easy silence that they used to and the rest of the time they usually spent arguing over stupid things. But things had also gotten complicated between her and Katherine. She had been coming around to see Elena more often and was actually surprisingly pleasant to be around. Elena hated to admit it, but she had a strong feeling of affection towards the vampire and no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to shake it.

Katherine took a couple steps backward and leaned her back against the wall. Elena was grateful for the space that was now between them.

"All the more reason to take a night off, with me. It will be fun. Besides, I won't take no for an answer," Katherine insisted.

Elena knew it was pointless to pretend that she wasn't dying to go and spend some alone time with Katherine, so she shrugged her shoulders and sighed in defeat. "I guess I don't really have a choice," she said with a small laugh.

A smile appeared on Katherine's face, and she looked very pleased with herself. "Excellent!" she purred softly. "I'll pick you up at eight?" She turned to walk back toward the window. "Oh and Elena," Katherine started to say, turning around to look at the girl one last time. "Wear something warm," she requested gently, a sparkle in her eyes.

"Okay," Elena answered nervously. Katherine flashed a smile in Elena's direction and then disappeared into the night, leaving Elena to wonder what she was getting herself into.


	2. Chapter 2

Elena looked at herself in the mirror_._She had searched through her clothes for nearly an hour trying to find the perfect outfit for that night. "This is insane," she muttered under her breath, collapsing onto her bed and running her fingers through her hair. "It's just Katherine. No big deal." Elena shook her head and laughed humorlessly knowing her statement was far from the truth. She sighed and put her hand over her eyes, trying to calm herself down. She cursed at herself for acting so crazy and she jumped off of the bed. She paced back and forth before stomping back to her closet and rummaging through its contents once more. After flipping through her options at least three more times, she decided on a long sleeved blue blouse and her lucky blue jeans.

Elena had grabbed her jacket just as she heard Katherine's car pull into the driveway. Her palms started to sweat and she wasn't so sure this was a good idea anymore. Glaring into the mirror, Elena told herself that she could do this, that she wanted to do this. Suddenly she caught sight of a stray piece of hair and she furiously tucked it behind her ear, willing it to stay in place. Several other strands of hair fell victim to Elena's obsessive need for perfection, and when she was finally happy with how she looked, she descended the staircase, making sure she didn't trip over her own feet. She walked over to the door and hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath before finally opening it.

Elena was at a loss for words when her eyes met Katherine's and she took in the sight of her doppelganger. Katherine's long, dark curls cascaded down her shoulders in a way that made her look like some kind of Greek goddess. She wore tight black jeans that showed off her perfect figure and a simple red blouse underneath her signature black jacket, leaving Elena feeling somewhat self-conscious in the attire she had chosen. Her mouth had gone dry and she was having a hard time catching her breath.

"Hi," Katherine said casually. She was well aware of the effect she was having on her double.

"Hi," Elena managed to get out, clearing her throat as nonchalantly as possible. She suddenly realized that this night might be more difficult that she had originally thought.

"Where are we going anyway?" Elena asked, growing more impatient with every passing second. Katherine just smiled and said, "You'll see." She pulled into a parking lot next to a large square shaped building. "Here we are!" she exclaimed. Elena couldn't make out the sign in the dark and she sat back in her seat, frustrated that Katherine refused to let her in on the secret.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Katherine said abruptly. She turned around and reached into the backseat to grab something. Elena couldn't help but breathe in the delicious scent of Katherine's hair. She decided it smelled like coconut with a hint of jasmine, as Katherine returned to her previous sitting position.

"This is for you," Katherine said as she held out a box in her hands. Elena took the box from Katherine and jokingly said, "I didn't know this was a gift giving occasion." Katherine said nothing as she watched her lift up the lid and place it on the floor. Carefully, Elena unfolded the tissue paper inside the box and gasped when she saw what it had been hiding from her.

Inside the box was a pair of beautiful white Jackson figure skates, the same kind Elena used to dream of owning but could never afford. She ran her hand along the smooth leather and her fingers admired the coolness of the metal blade. Her eyes were shining as she looked up at Katherine.

"I hope they're okay," Katherine said softly.

"They're perfect," Elena whispered. "Thank you." She desperately wanted to say more but she couldn't seem to find the right words to express how she felt. Katherine didn't need anything else from Elena. She had given her more than enough thanks with her reaction. Katherine wanted more than anything to wipe Elena's tears away but she didn't want to overstep her bounds. Their relationship was shaky enough without her doing something stupid that would mess it all up.

"Let's go," Katherine said, promptly exiting the car. Elena followed her while she retrieved a bag from her trunk. She put Elena's skates into the bag and they walked side by side across the empty parking lot. They carried on in comfortable silence until they reached the front doors. Katherine led the way as Elena followed her, newly energized by her gift. Katherine switched on the lights and Elena's jaw dropped.

Her eyes were fixed on the empty sheet of ice in front of her, and she shivered as the cold air hit her skin. It had been so long since she had been to an ice rink, but she felt peaceful, like she was finally home after a long time away. "So what do you think?" Katherine asked eagerly.

"Katherine, how…?"

Katherine interrupted her. "I compelled the manager to let us have the ice to ourselves for the night."

"Of course you did," Elena laughed softly. She sat down on a bench and Katherine followed her lead, handing Elena her skates and taking out her own pair. In no time at all, Katherine tied her laces and walked over to the ice.

"Behold the beauty of vampire speed," she said, glancing back at Elena, who hadn't even started on her second set of laces yet. Katherine stepped onto the ice and took a few long strokes down its length, stopping when she got to the boards on the opposite side. She stepped into the penalty box and connected her iPod to the sound system. Katherine had created a special playlist specifically for this occasion; she wanted everything to be _perfect_. She hit play and turned up the volume slightly, looking up to see Elena's reaction.

Elena glanced up when she had finally finished lacing up both of her skates. She smiled to herself when she realized that a Ke$ha song, Animal, was playing loudly over the speakers. "I love this song," Elena said to Katherine when she returned to the door.

"I know," Katherine said with a devious smile. She held her arm out for Elena and saw her hesitate and look away. "Are you ready?"

Elena wasn't sure she would ever be ready for this, but she had to at least try. She looked to Katherine who gave her a warm smile. She glanced out onto the ice and memories of early mornings at the rink with her mom flashed before her. She felt her knees threaten to give out and tears started to form in her eyes. "I want to do this. I need to do this," she told herself firmly.

Elena took a deep breath and grabbed Katherine's hand, joining her on the ice. Her foot slipped out from beneath her but Katherine caught her before she hit the ground, holding her firmly against her body. "I've got you," Katherine said quickly. Elena felt her cheeks turn red as Katherine pulled her to her feet once more. "I'm okay," Elena said, reassuring the vampire.

She slowly pushed off the ice, moving more carefully this time. She felt the familiar crunch of the ice beneath her blades and she felt herself starting to relax.

Katherine watched as Elena quickened her steps in order to gain momentum. She was easily able to keep up as Elena became more and more comfortable. Katherine let her go ahead and saw her put her arms out on either side of her body, like she was trying to fly. Elena could feel the tension leaving her body as she glided down the ice. She felt so free; so alive. It was an intoxicating feeling and she wanted to remember every second of it. Elena felt strong now, so she turned around so that she was skating backwards. She stepped forward onto her left foot and jumped into the air, doing half a turn and then landing backwards on the ice. She heard Katherine clapping, so she did several more, until she got tired and had to sit down to catch her breath.

Katherine was impressed by Elena's abilities even after two years away. She also felt very proud that she was even able to step onto the ice, after all this time. Katherine knew what a big deal this was for Elena, and how much it really meant to her.

"Your turn," Elena said, sitting down on the bench inside the penalty box. Katherine was happy to turn the attention to herself and she knew what would impress Elena the most. She started down the long side of the ice and built up her speed as she turned the corner. Swiftly, she lifted one leg behind her and up into the air until her body was parallel to the ice and her legs were almost in a full split position.

Elena took in the sight of Katherine doing a perfect spiral, effortlessly flying down the ice and looking so elegant. She had always known Katherine was graceful but she had never imagined anything like this. She was seeing a whole different side of Katherine that she had never seen before, and she liked what she saw.

Elena erupted into shouts of joy, letting Katherine know that she approved. Katherine brought her leg back down, curtseyed and then returned to her standing position. She skated over to the bench and sat down next to her doppelganger.

"That was…beautiful" Elena said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Katherine simply replied, "You're beautiful, Elena." Elena's breath caught in her throat as Katherine reached out to stroke her cheek tenderly with the back of her fingers. She closed her eyes and tried to stay in that moment for as long as she could. She didn't know what to say or how to react. She was so afraid of doing the wrong thing and ruining this perfect night.

"Katherine," Elena whispered, her eyes focused on Katherine's once more.

"I know," the vampire said softly, still stroking Elena's cheek. Elena searched Katherine's eyes for any sign of anger, finding none.

"Come on, we've still got a little more time left tonight," Katherine said, forcing a smile onto her lips. She pulled Elena to her feet again and got back onto the ice, trying not to let the girl see the pain in her eyes. They started to skate side by side, at a slow pace at first, just enjoying each other's company. Occasionally Elena would sneak a glance at Katherine and when Katherine would catch her looking, she would smile nervously and turn away, staring at the ice in front of her.

After a while, Elena had an idea. She dug her blade into the ice, slowing her down. "Let's race!" she spoke abruptly a couple seconds later.

"You can't be serious," Katherine laughed as she slowed to a stop next to Elena.

"I am completely serious. One lap, but no using your speedy vampire powers," Elena said with a grin, holding out her hand, her eyes full of mischief.

"Okay you're on," Katherine agreed, shaking Elena's hand.

"Ready.. set.. go!" Elena called out and they took off toward the other side of the rink. Elena was determined to prove herself to Katherine so she tried to quicken her steps when she came to the end, doing crossovers with her feet in order to gain speed around the curve. Katherine was keeping up with her, unsurprisingly enough, but Elena was confident in her abilities. As they neared the end of the lap, Elena skated with all her might, as fast as she could but they ended up finishing at the same time.

Elena was well aware that Katherine could have beaten her easily and she laughed as she tried to catch her breath. She was feeling exhausted, but so incredibly _good_. She looked over at Katherine and was overwhelmed by happiness.

She didn't know whether her happiness came from being on the ice, or from being with Katherine but she didn't really care; right now she was just enjoying being alive.


	3. Chapter 3

The drive home was quiet, neither doppelganger knowing what to say to break the silence. Elena fidgeted with her shirt in the passenger seat as Katherine drove them home. Elena wanted desperately to say something, but nothing she could think to say would come out right, so she kept quiet.

As they reached Elena's house, Katherine pulled into the driveway and put the car in park. She looked over at Elena who was staring blankly ahead of her.

"How come you never told me you skated?" Elena asked, hurt evident in her voice. She didn't know what else to say but she had been wondering all night what the answer was. Katherine ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "You never asked," she replied coolly.

"How long?" Elena questioned her, turning to get a good look at her doppelganger.

Katherine took a deep breath. She had never told anyone about her love for skating before, not even Stefan. She thought that the more personal information people knew about her, the more easily they could hurt her. However she felt like she could trust Elena with this information. Katherine felt like she could trust her with anything.

"When I moved to England in the 1400s, that's when I first learned how to skate," Katherine said watching Elena's reaction to her words. "Conditions were much different back then as compared to now, of course. But I was very fond of it and that didn't go away when I became a vampire. It was one of the few things that kept me sane actually."

"Wow," Elena said softly, looking out the window again. "I felt the same way once. Skating was my second love, after writing of course." She idly traced her finger along the window pane, remembering the way things were. "When I skated I was just so completely in control, like there was nothing that could stop me. I felt… strong. I guess it's kind of silly but I never felt more powerful than when I was on the ice."

Elena seemed to be lost in her own little world, perhaps reminiscing about the past. Katherine couldn't help but notice the way the moonlight hit Elena's face, causing her features to be even more pronounced than normal. Katherine tried to pinpoint the exact moment that she knew she was falling for Elena. Was it after all those times she had pretended to be her, or every time she acted like she could care less about her happiness? No. If Katherine was being honest with herself, it was from the first time she laid eyes on Elena the day they met at the boarding house.

Elena cleared her throat which snapped Katherine back to the present. "I had a great time with you tonight," Elena said, turning to look at Katherine. Katherine searched Elena's face for any sign of humor or sarcasm but came up empty. She smiled and said "Me too." Katherine placed her hand over Elena's and the girl's breath caught in her throat at the simple contact. It was like an electrical current was running through their hands, up her arm and throughout her entire body. Elena had never felt anything like it before and she wondered if it was normal to feel this way. "I really needed to do something fun to take my mind off of everything, so thank you," Elena said trying to ignore the spark that had ignited a flame at Katherine's touch. She glanced down at their hands and she couldn't help but admire how perfectly they fit together. _Like we were made for each other_. She tried to push the thought from her mind. Suddenly Katherine reached out and tucked a strand of Elena's hair behind her ear, causing her to shudder involuntarily. Elena wondered what it would be like to feel Katherine's lips on hers, to taste her skin...

What was happening to her? Why was she reacting this way to Katherine of all people? It was stupid to assume that Katherine had any interest in her as anything other than friends, if that's what they were now. She looked down at the box on the floor, a reminder of what Katherine had done for her that night. She started to doubt any chance she had with Katherine and declared herself insane for even thinking about it. Almost as if Katherine read her mind, she trailed her finger down Elena's jawline and stopped at her chin, pulling her up to face her once more. "Elena," Katherine whispered, her breath falling onto Elena's face. "What is it that _you_want?"

Katherine looked at her and waited patiently to hear her response. She noticed Elena glance briefly at her lips and then back up to her eyes, as if trying to decide something in her mind. Katherine closed the distance between them, brushing her lips against Elena's cheek, waiting for her invitation, her lips hovering dangerously close to Elena's. Elena closed her eyes and brought her lips to Katherine's, pressing them together and enjoying the warm sensation building in the pit of her stomach. Katherine smiled against her as she kissed her back, relishing in the moment that was totally and completely theirs. She had been with other women before, sure, but this was different. Elena was different.

Katherine placed her hand at the nape of Elena's neck, pulling her closer. Elena felt Katherine slide her tongue along her bottom lip and she moaned slightly. Never in a million years did she think kissing Katherine would feel like this. Elena was starting to feel lightheaded, but in a good way, a way she hadn't felt in a long time. Katherine slid her tongue across her lips once more but this time Elena parted them slightly, giving her an open invitation. She knotted her fingers in Katherine's hair as Katherine deepened the kiss. Elena's head was spinning and the thought of letting herself feel this way about Katherine was terrifying; she didn't want to get hurt again.

Elena broke away from the kiss, and Katherine groaned, clearly not yet satisfied. "It's getting late," she said between breaths. "I should probably get inside."

"Let me walk you to your door," Katherine offered. She jumped out of the car and opened Elena's door offering her a hand. Elena carefully took Katherine's hand and climbed out of the car. As they walked to the porch, their hands intertwined and Elena felt safe. When they made it to the door, Katherine initiated another kiss, wrapping her arms around Elena's waist and pulling her close. Elena felt like she couldn't get enough of Katherine, her hands tangled in her dark curls. Elena never wanted to lose this feeling. Suddenly she pulled back, staring into Katherine's dark brown eyes. She took a few breaths and managed to say, "Would you like to come inside?"

Katherine raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about Jeremy?"

"He's at a friend's house, he won't be back until tomorrow," Elena said quickly.

Katherine laughed but didn't say anything more as she opened the door and followed Elena into the empty house.


End file.
